Friday, January 14, 2011

The Cow

Dariush Mehrjui, 1969, Iran, 115m, "Gaav"

Hassan loves his cow, the only cow in the mud caked, sand blown village, in an age before electricity. He bathes the cow, talks to her, laughs with her. The bond between cow and man is extraordinarily powerful :emotional, spiritual, obsessive. But the star crossed love is smitten with incomprehensible tragedy, as the beloved dies suddenly, while he is away for a day. He cannot bear the shock. As he pines away, he gradually comes to believe he himself is the cow. A rare brand of insanity indeed as he turns into the deceased animal. We find him chewing away at the hay, big eyed and uncomprehending, bellowing furiously at the considerate neighbors who want to care for him. Well, this may verge on the ludicrous, but the film is profoundly tragic, as a man sinks into insanity beyond redemption, metamorphing into a different species.

In the process, we see the life in the village, which could be the stone age or millenia ago, but actually is very like what might have been in this part of the world a century ago. The environment is familiar to me from what I have heard from my own elders. The close neighborlinesses of the villagers, as they join in grief and festivity, is a picture of social symbiosis which has disappeared. The grief of the beloved Hassan as he sinks irretrievably into his delusions, becomes the common concern and grief of all the village. And then the village is regularly terrorized and plundered by a tribe of bandits and the shared peril draws them together. This impoverished and tightly bound fraternity of good people brings in me a feeling of nostalgia for places I know only from hearsay.

This is a strange, powerful, imperfect film. The background score, using indigenous string instruments is evocative of the heart wrenching pains of this semi pre-historic existence. The palette is a bit too dark. The village streets, the mischievous urchins tormenting the village idiot, the pathetic pots and pans,and the minimality of life's resources, is captured in the sensitive cinematography.

A deeply felt film. Hassan is a tragic and human figure. The director makes him entirely credible, though he borders on absurdity. This is the stuff of mythology, folk lore, the workings of the deeper strata of the mind. It is a portrait of an ordinary human being when confronted with the essential enigma. It is like Lear and his nevers. And it speaks the language sheerly of the heart, not the intellect.

Thanks to Nathanael Hood for introducing this film. His far more comprehensive review is HERE

11 comments:

Jack L said...

Well, this looks like yet another film for me to see...
Sometimes I feel like I've seen barely anything, but then I look at others my age and I'm reassured...

Nathanael Hood said...

Trust me...I know the feeling.

You know...if I were you...I'd seek out the "1001 Films that You Must See Before You Die." Believe it or not, many of the films that I write about on my blog are entries on that list.

So Rana...did you like the film?

Jack L said...

Nathanael, I just had a look at that list and I'm surprised to see that I have already seen quite a few of the entries...
Generally I don't much like these kind of lists though, I don't want to feel to confined in my viewing, I'd rather make my one list of films to see before I die if you see what I mean...

S. M. Rana said...

Jack,one should no more aspire to see all the great films than to read all the great books in the library, unless of course, that is your goal, to be a director or actor, is it? You may have seen fewer than Nathanael, who is of course slightly older than you, but you have seen million fold what I had at a similar age, so how old does that make me, but you don't ask people's age on the net unless they have put it in their profile, haha!

S. M. Rana said...

Nat, that was a real powerful movie, the mother of Iranian Cinema as you put it. I would not have missed it for anything, so thanks.

Nathanael Hood said...

Jack:

Well...the list is at least a good indicator of how far you may have come in terms of viewing.

Rana:

I'm so happy to hear you say that! The film isn't perfect...but it is essential to the development of Iranian cinema.

Speaking of international cinema...I feel like I have been reviewing too many American films recently...

So tomorrow I start a three month vacation from English language films on my blog. I'll announce it and make it official after my next review is published...

(It's a French film!)

S. M. Rana said...

Nat: I'm all tip-toes for the French cuisine!!

David J. said...

I was first introduced to Dariush Mehrjui through a class i took on Middle Eastern Cinema. Im glad you wrote on this movie, its one of my favourites from Iran.

S. M. Rana said...

David:

Welcome to my blog!

Jack L said...

@Rana
Actually, yes it is my goal to become a director someday. And I think to be a great one, one must have a very deep knowledge of films.

I wouldn't want to end up like up like Anton Corbjin who I heard an interview of recently about his latest film, the American, the interviewer likened his film to some of Melville's work and he replied he had never seen any!!!
I think you shouldn't make films unless you know what came before...

@Nathanael,
Yeah, the list is definitely useful in that way, it's interesting to have many great films grouped up in one list but as I said I still prefer to find my own way...

and I'm looking forward to your next review, I particularly enjoy French films!

S M Rana said...

Someone said the pre=requisite to great writing is reading, and I guess that applies to movies too, otherwise one might be reinventing wheels.